AquaCrop is a well-known water-oriented crop model. The model has been often used to simulate various crops and the water balance in the field under different irrigation treatments, but studies that relate AquaCrop to fertilization are rare. In this study, the ability of this model to simulate yield and the water balance parameters was investigated in a wheat field under different nitrogen management practices. During the 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 growing seasons, meteorological data were provided from a nearby meteorological station, and the evolution of soil water content and final yields were recorded. The model showed a very good performance at simulating the soil water content evolution in the root zone. Notwithstanding its simplicity, AquaCrop based on a semi-quantitative approach for fertility performed well at the field level for the final yield estimation under different nitrogen treatments and field topography variation. Although the correlation coefficient between simulated and measured final yields was high, increased values of variations were observed in the various zones of this experimental field (−50% to +140%). The model appears to be an efficient tool for evaluating and improving the management practices at the field level. The experiments were conducted in Thessaly, which is the largest plain and the main agricultural area of Greece. Thessaly, however, has a strong negative water balance, which has led to a strong decrease in the level of the aquifer and, at the same time, to sea intrusion. There is also a significant risk of contamination of the groundwater aquifer due to increased use of agrochemicals. This analysis is particularly important for Thessaly due to the need for improvement of agricultural practices in this area, to decrease the pressure of agricultural activities on natural resources (soil, water) and reverse the consequences of current management.
In this paper, the preliminary results on Crop Coefficient (Kc) estimation are presented with the view to assess the crop evapotranspiration in specific cotton fields during the growing season of 2015 and 2016 in Thessaly, Greece. Several World View 2 (WV-2) satellite images were used. The so-called ETcsat (Evapotranspiration from satellite data) produced by using the Reference Evapotranspiration (ETo) from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) based on meteorological data and Kc extracted from Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) utilizing the Red and Near Infra-Red (NIR) bands. The values of ETcsat are close to Crop Evapotranspiration (ETc) during the cultivation period of cotton and the estimation of ETc is successful. Kc and RedNDVI relationship is based on WV-2 images and water balance in the field scale. The methodology has proved to be very useful for the implementation and verification of any Integrated Management Programme System for optimal agricultural production.
Objective: The pandemic caused by Sars‑CoV‑2 (COVID‑19) has changed dramatically individuals’ life worldwide. The implication of measures of public health protection, the social distance and isolation, the lockdown and the decrease of social life activities caused escalated anxiety, depression, physical inactivity on the one hand and widespread unemployment and financial crisis on the other hand. Preliminary studies during COVID‑19 pandemic reported an increase in the use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and cannabis (CB). The latter has been linked with harmful cardiovascular and respiratory effects (eg. lung cancer, bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema). Especially people with substance use disorders were further stressed by the current circumstances and were found to intensify consumption of cannabinoids (1-4). This short review focuses on the possible cardiovascular impact of CB abuse in the era of Covid-19 pandemic. It aims to stress the worldwide clinical attention and the clinicians’ awareness on the development of specific prevention and intervention strategies against CB addiction during pandemics.
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